Chapter 17:
- They escaped? – the Jarl asked, tensing up in his throne. The captain was pale, afraid of what might happen to him.
- Yes, sir. They somehow managed to sneak out of the barracks. If you wish, we can organize a search group…
- You idiot! – Skald shouted, slamming his hand on the chair`s arm. – That Argonian is a Shadowscale! He will kill you before you have a chance to breathe!
At that moment, the door slammed open. From the shadows, the Jarl could distinguish a muscular form. The figure took a step toward`s Skald, and he noticed that the mysterious being was an Argonian.
He shrunk back in his throne. The Argonian was too muscular to be Siris, but he did have an imposing stature. He also had a mace by his waist, wrapped around something that concealed it`s appearance. He had a shroud and a mask covering his face.
- And another one appears. What do you want? – Skald said, impacient.
The Argonian removed the hood and showed his orange skin. His eyes were blood red.
- I am Tar-Ma. My leader sent me here. And I want revenge…
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Siris slipped in his boots, the last piece of equipment missing. It had been a long time since he had used that outfit. Dila was looking at him.
- Are you sure about this, Siris? – she asked, clearly concearned.
- Yes, the orders were to convince or kill. And I doubt we will be convincing him soon. And don`t worry. – he brought a dagger from the bag. It was a dagger made by the elves, only colored black. – Even if it`s been very long, I am still the best assassin in business.
He stood up, and the feeling of his old Shadowscale uniform on his body felt… strange. It was black with dark green stripes, not as form-fiting as the Dark Brotherhood`s version, but it fitted a similar purpose. Every intricate detail of the suit had been thought from a stealth point of view, and the gear itself was enchanted to be the perfect disguise for an assassin. The stripes ran from his sides to his chest, and a small cloak covered his tail, not allowing it to be spotted by his prey.
- That armor doesn`t seem like it`s going to give you much defense, Siris. Don`t you wish to go with your sword?
- No. That thing is too bulky. I need my agility this time around. – he closed the bag and threw it to the side. – Keep an eye out. I`ll be back before you know it.
He saterted to walk downhill.
- Siris! – he heard her say. He turned around and she lowered his mask, before kissing him. She broke the kiss, with a sad smile on her face. – Come back alive.
- It sounds like you don`t know me…
He chuckled, and retook his silent walk to the town, though not before staring back at Dila and seeing her looking at him, worried again. Even though nothing was going to happen to him, he couldn`t help but feel bad at leaving her. He had to complete his mission. And he needed some information regarding Razara`s new little toy…
He took a sharp turn to the right. Hiding behind a few bushes until a guard taking his patrol went away. He took a letter from his pocket and read it.
" Silus Vesuius presents
The Museum of the Mythic Dawn
A history of the Cult that Toppled the Septim Dynasty
Inside of his very own home in the great capital of the Pale, Dawnstar
Free and open to all citizens of Skyrim"
Siris remembered reading about the Mythic Dawn. A cult that had assassinated one emperor and three of his sons. Most notably, however, was the almost single handed orchestration of the Oblivion Crisis, in which the Daedric Prince of Destruction, Mehrunes Dagon, had invaded Nirn with his forces. Now the order was extinct, because of the valiant Hero of Kvatch. But Daedric Princes did not die.
And now, the Mehrunes Razor, Dagon`s artifact, was in the hands of one of Tamriel`s most deadly and vengefull assassins.
Siris cautiously snaked toward the now abandoned house, indentifying it as the right one because of the old flag, depicting a rising sun in a red background. Siris crouched, becoming one with the shadows, and picked up a lockpick. The lock was easily opened, and he didn`t even loose his lockpick in the process. He put it back in his pocket and entered the building.
The room was filled with stands, all of them with items bearing the symbol of the Mythic Dawn. Siris saw that a note was lying on the bed.
"Bog-Hunter,
I have gone to the Shrine, in order to meditate upon the shards that I already have. Meet me at the Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon when you have all the pieces.
Silus"
Siris recognized Razara`s fake name. He had probably tricked Silus into accepting his help in retrieving the fragments of the dagger. Then, Razara had probably killed him to retrieve the blade.
The bastard would pay. But now, his task was another one.
"I will pay this shrine a visist when we are out of here. But first, my presence is needed elsewhere."
He put the note on his pocket and sneaked out of the door again. He held his breath when he heard a guard passing by the house. He thought quickly and jumped to the roof of the house, laying falt on his stomach. The guard stoped in front of the house, and waited a couple of minutes before another guard showed up.
- Torvir! – he said. – How have things been on with the Jarl?
- Bad, Standr. He is mad because of the Beast traffic around here.
- Why is that a problem?
- The problem is he doesn`t like them. He is angry, because three appeared oly today! And, when he doesn`t like something, he makes our lives a living hell!
"Three?" Siris thought, listening to the whole conversation. "But only me and Dila have come to town today."
- Yeah. I guess he`s right, though. We don`t need any Beasts in here.
- Oh, but he needs this last one. He is afraid of the one that escaped earlier.
- What do you mean?
The guards were walking away. Siris stayed there a couple more moments before going to the ground, landing silently in the snow.
"The only reasonable explanation would be… another Shadowscale."
He felt preoccupied for Dila. Another Shadowscale could spell death to her, but he needed to keep calm and hope that she would be okay. She could fight well on her own, and she could fend her opponent until he arrived.
Moving through the shadows once again, Siris arrived at the White Hall. He could hear a few guards inside. He saw a window high in the walls. Using his claws, he climbed up to it and perched himself at it`s frame, observing what was happening.
The Jarl was already asleep, and a few guards were mounting guard at his bedroom`s door, but they were so tired they were almost sleeping while standing. Siris walked across one of the beams in the ceiling over the two guards. When they were right below him, he dropped silently, impaling one with his dagger, before spinning and slicing the other`s throat. The bodies fell heavily, and Siris was afraid for a moment, but realized that there was no one else in the building. The Jarl was sleeping soundly. Siris approached, bloody dagger in his hand, and stood by the side of the bed. He raised his dagger.
- Nostalgic, no?
He turned around, receiving a strong blow to the head that sent him flying over the bed and onto a the wall. He opened his eyes, and saw the other Shadowscale jumping toward him. He sidestepped and readied his dagger, letting the Shadowscale assume his battle position.
Now that he could look at his assailant more calmly, Siris noticed his ornge skin and his red eyes.
- Tar-Ma. – he sighed. – What are you doing here?
- Killing you!
With that, he lunged. Siris knew that Tar-Ma Favoured the mace as a weapon, and he could see a mace-shaped object in his hand, but it was wrapped in some sort of cloth that made it difficult for Siris to distinguish what it was made of.
Siris ducked under another swipe of the mace, but, before he could notice, Tar-Ma planted his fist on his stomach, sending him through the door. Siris fell on the ground, gasping for breath. Tar-Ma`s punches were a force to be reckoned with.
The larger Argonian came out of the door after him, with the Jarl shouting threats at Siris, but never coming out of the bed.
"Funny how being in a positinn of power raises your cowardice."
Siris jumped and tried to kick Tar-Ma in his face, nearly connecting. Tar-Ma, however, swung upwards, forcing Siris to bring his arms up to block the blow. The mace impacted with more strength then it had with the first one, and Siris flew up to the window from which he had come from.
- Running away? – Tar-Ma said, laughing as he did so. – You are stronger then I remembered, Siris. But I too have my tricks.
He unwrapped the mace, and a small trickle of sweat ran down on Siris`s forehead.
Tar-Ma was holding the Mace of Molag-Bal.
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Dila was watching from a few rooftops away. Siris had told her he would have been back soon, but she was worried all the same. She had jumped from rooftop to rooftop to keep up with him, but he had finnaly entered the hall, after stoping by a strange house in the outskirts of the town.
He had entered through a window, and a few moments later, she heard muffled sounds denoting a fight. She drew her bow from her back. Siris appeared on the window again. This time, though, she could see that he was panting, out of breath.
She saw Siris eyes widen suddenly. Then, he said something to someone on the house and jumped to a rooftop behind him.
"What has bitten him?"Dila thought, drawing an arrow. Then, she saw another figure, much bulkier then him, though dressed in the same style, follow him through the window. She saw Siris dodge a blow from a mace, and Dila caught sight of it. It was the most menacing mace she had ever seen. It had various skull adornements along it`s length, and it had a few blades, as if it was meant to cut and smash it`s target at the same time. She readied the arrow and pulled the bowstring, keeping a steady aim in the larger Argonian. She thought that she could make the shot.
But she felt a dagger touch her throat.
- Don`t. – she heard. It was a male voice, much rougher than Siris. Then she heard a chuckle. – You didn`t thought one of us would come here alone, did you.
She lowered her bow. The assassin had her for the moment. She turned around. The Argonian that she saw had a dark blue skin tone, and his eyes were of a lighter hue of the same color. His pupils were slit so much they barely appeared. He had two short horns. He held a small smirk on his face.
- You must be the archer Siris has been traveling with. Seems like I have a rival now…
She didn`t let him finish. She extended her talons and scratched his face. He let out a scream of pain. Dila smashed his head with the bow, and before he could get up again, she ran away, jumping onto the street, and making a mad dash for the woods in which they had set camp. She could hear a very faint sound of a mace hitting the wood of a rooftop, and people shouting and complaining about the noise.
When she crouched behind a bush, she turned around to see what was happening. She saw Siris fighting with the other Argonian on another rooftop, the Argonian she had attacked searching for her, holding his face and trying to keep it in one piece. She tried to keep as quiet as she could. If the man saw her, it would be her end.
She slowly lifted her bow and pulled the arrow she had previously readied. She slowed her breathing and took aim at the Argonian. It was now or never.
She let the arrow loose. It traveled quickly and embended itself on his shoulder. He let out a scream of pain, and another arrow soon silenced him. She walked to the body and scanned it with her eyes. Her eyes, trained to find the most valuable items anywhere, drew instantly to the bow in his now dead hands. It was an Elven Bow, much better than her Orcish one. She grabbed it, and instaly felt the lightness of the material. The cord was strung perfectly, and she could spend hours contemplating it`s beauty, but before she could do so, she remembered that Siris was in trouble.
She turned her head up and saw him still battling the other Shadowscale. Siris, however, was getting tired. She could see it in his stance. His back was arching, and she could figure small puffs of condensed breath coming from his covered nuzzle. She didn`t waste a second. She readiead an arrow and shot straight at his opponent.
The bow shot the arrow with much more strength then her last one, but the assassin noticed the arrow coming, dodging and letting it fly harmlessly to the hill behind them.
Dila had given her postion away, and now she knew that no other shot would hit. She holstered her new bow and ran.
But the assassin wasn`t planning on letting her escape.
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- So, that`s the Khajiit I have heard so much about. – Tar-Ma said, briefly letting Siris a moment to think
"What is she doing here?"
- She`s the one that you are using to forget Krona, isn`t she?
- I told you, Krona`s alive!
- Liar! – Tar-Ma screamed. – How can she be? I buried her, I saw the gapping hole in her chest!
- This is Razara`s doing! He somehow resurrected her!
- Don`t make me laugh, Siris. What`s done is done. Now, you will face the consequences!
With that, he charged once again. Siris prepared to block a strike from the mace, but instead, Tar-Ma jumped acroos the street onto another rooftop.
"He is going after Dila"
Siris quickly chased him. He wasn`t going to let Tar-Ma hurt her.
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Dila ran with all the speed her legs could give her. She new that the Shadowscale was chasing her, and if she stoped, she was dead. She had to run back to the hill. She would have abetter fighting chance there.
She heard someone drop to the street. Not even looking back, she accelerated her pace, hoping to outrun whoever it was that had jumped down. Suddenly, though, she felt the pain of a dagger emebending itself on her thigh. She fell on the ground, and looked at the bloody wound the sharp dagger had left on her leg.
The assassin walked toward her, the mace on his hand glowing a bright green color. He had a serious expression on his face, which quickly turned to one of anger as he approached.
- You are the whore, then? – he asked. – The one Siris is forgetting my sister with?
- You mean Krona? – she said, voice ragged by pain and fadigue. The dagger had some kind of poison that had drained her strength.
- Don`t speak her name, Khajiit! – he yelled, before menacingly rising his mace over his head. – Now you are going to experience the same fate she did!
Dila closed her eyes, awaiting the impact to crush her skull. Instead, she heard a large gasp for air as Siris tackled her would-be killer. She opened her eyes and saw Siris struggling with the larger Argonian, trying to suffocate him. Dila took the chance to yank the dagger out of her leg. As she grabbed it`s hilt, she felt a chilling sensation run up her arm. She found it strange, but she kept pulling it until it came out with a gush of blood. She hissed in pain and threw the cold object aside.
In the meantime, Siris was punching the assassin with all his might. However, the other one had recovered from his initial blow, and was now swinging his mace trying to hit Siris. Dila was going to help him, but she felt that she couldn`t move her leg. It felt numb and very, very cold.
Siris shot a punch at the Shadowscale`s muzzle, connecting and making him spin to the floor. Seeing that he was in trouble, the assassin rolled back, putting a little bit of distance between him and Siris before opening a red flask and drinking from it.
- You fight as well as I remember, Siris.
- I improved, Tar-Ma. Differently from you, I didn`t sat down, accepting easy gold.
- And neither did I. But I don`t feel like breaking you apart right now. At least not in my current condition. Kandella`s not here, and I didn`t bring enough potions to keep fighting you all night. So I`ll make myself scarce. So long, Siris.
As he said that, he sudenly vanished. Dila was amazed and scared. He had disappeared in the blink of an eye. What kind of sorcery was that?
Siris imediately released his position and went to her side.
- Dila! Dila! Are you allright?
- Just a dagger through the leg. I`ll live.
Siris hauled her up. They needed to get away from the guards and up to their camp. The mission had been a flying failure, but they could still make it out alive. Luckilly, the guards were not chasing them, for some reason.
When they arrived at the camp, Dila could stand on her own. She sat down on the soft snow. Siris sat beside her, panting.
- Who was that? – she asked, after a few moments of somber reflection.
- That was Tar-Ma. He was Krona`s brother. We were… friends.
- How did he disappear like that? Can all of you do that?
- Yes, but it`s been a long time since I last used that. Being born under the Shadow has it`s advantages.
Dila had many questions on her head, but she decided to keep quiet. Siris was visibly shaken by the fighting in which he had participated. He, however, noticed the new bow on her back.
- Where did you get that?
- I killed one of them. He had this on himself. He had blue skin and eyes. Small horns.
- Dead-Aim. Our archer. Arrogant, but he could back his talk with his skills. You killed him, no? – he chuckled when she nodded affirmatively. – Dila, you are a better archer then I initially thought you were.
She chuckled at that too. Suddenly, he embraced her with his strong arms. If she had any thought crossing her mind before, they all disappeared instantly. She wraped her arms around her, squealing when he lifeted her and carried her to the tent.
He released her, and she began to untie her armor while he lay beside her. When she finnaly managed to take the armor off, she turned around, eager to share herself with him…
… only to find him sleeping, having managed to take off half of his upper armor.
She was left confused. Siris was probably exhausted because of the day`s events. She was going to wake him up. He had, after all, let her wanting him inside of her. But when he heard his light snore, she smiled and, instead of slapping him upside the head, gently planted a kiss on the tip of his nuzzle, before snuggling close to him, throwing her arm across his chest and closing her eyes, matching her rythym of breath with his. She soon found herself sleeping with a slight smile on her lips.